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Sweet Valley Twins Super Chillers #9
Evil Elizabeth
Who's afraid of Elizabeth Wakefield?
Everyone thinks of Elizabeth Wakefield as the nice twin. That's why she loves her Halloween mask - it's so scary that no one ca believe Elizabeth is behind it.
But her appearance isn't the only thing that changes when Elizabeth puts on the mask - little by little it makes Elizabeth act evil...only Elizabeth doesn't know it. It's up to her twin sister, Jessica, to destroy the mask...before Elizabeth does something she'll regret forever.
Everyone thinks of Elizabeth Wakefield as the nice twin. That's why she loves her Halloween mask - it's so scary that no one ca believe Elizabeth is behind it.
But her appearance isn't the only thing that changes when Elizabeth puts on the mask - little by little it makes Elizabeth act evil...only Elizabeth doesn't know it. It's up to her twin sister, Jessica, to destroy the mask...before Elizabeth does something she'll regret forever.
183 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 1995
210 people want to read
About the author
Francine Pascal
1,140 books1,851 followersFrancine Paula Pascal was an American author best known for her Sweet Valley series of young adult novels. Sweet Valley High, the backbone of the collection, was made into a television series, which led to several spin-offs, including The Unicorn Club and Sweet Valley University. Although most of these books were published in the 1980s and 1990s, they remained so popular that several titles were re-released decades later.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 21, 2023
The first of this year's nostalgic Halloween read-a-longs with Marian. Last year, we read SVT #96-#100, and boy, was that a disappointment. This book, on the other hand, was a grand slam, hit outta the park.
The plot is exactly what it says on the tin: Elizabeth finds a mysterious, ghoulish mask and starts wearing it around the house. Her personality deteriorates at a rather amazing clip, until she's a horribly mean human being - even worse, Jessica thinks, than she is on her "bad" days 😂 Jessica becomes concerned about her twin, especially after Elizabeth starts acting like a horrible bitch even when not wearing the mask. She realizes that it's up to her to save Elizabeth from doing something truly horrendous during the lunar eclipse on Halloween night.
The ghostwriter gets major points for the following:
(1) Steven is not an asshole, and is in fact rather helpful in the climax of the story
(2) Jessica's amazing self-awareness, at age 12, of her own sociopathy
(3) the inclusion of Betsy Martin as a major player in the second half of the story
(4) sticking the landing - unlike last year's miniseries, this one sticks with its supernatural elements, with the bonus of a rather ambiguous ending
(5) THAT COVER OMG
Sweet Valley logic still abounds - witness Steven's astronomy teacher claiming that blood moons don't exist - but there's enough meta here to make up for it. I, for one, appreciate the nods to classic SVH and SVT canon, which are quite rare in the latter part of a series. Reading this makes me want to re-read SVT #3 The Haunted House based on that nostalgia factor alone.
The plot is exactly what it says on the tin: Elizabeth finds a mysterious, ghoulish mask and starts wearing it around the house. Her personality deteriorates at a rather amazing clip, until she's a horribly mean human being - even worse, Jessica thinks, than she is on her "bad" days 😂 Jessica becomes concerned about her twin, especially after Elizabeth starts acting like a horrible bitch even when not wearing the mask. She realizes that it's up to her to save Elizabeth from doing something truly horrendous during the lunar eclipse on Halloween night.
The ghostwriter gets major points for the following:
(1) Steven is not an asshole, and is in fact rather helpful in the climax of the story
(2) Jessica's amazing self-awareness, at age 12, of her own sociopathy
(3) the inclusion of Betsy Martin as a major player in the second half of the story
(4) sticking the landing - unlike last year's miniseries, this one sticks with its supernatural elements, with the bonus of a rather ambiguous ending
(5) THAT COVER OMG
Sweet Valley logic still abounds - witness Steven's astronomy teacher claiming that blood moons don't exist - but there's enough meta here to make up for it. I, for one, appreciate the nods to classic SVH and SVT canon, which are quite rare in the latter part of a series. Reading this makes me want to re-read SVT #3 The Haunted House based on that nostalgia factor alone.
October 28, 2016
Synopsis: Remember SVH #7, Dear Sister? This is that, but with the twins as 12-year-olds. This was the 9th Super Chiller, so I'm guessing they needed to start recycling plots. I think it's the last Super Chiller? Anyway, do you also remember Goosebumps' The Haunted Mask? Of course you do. It was arguably the best Goosebumps book. This is also that. I could just leave it there and let you smush the two of them together like PB & J in your mind, but I'll elaborate.
First of all, Steven is taking Astronomy even though he's a Freshman. Just go with it. Steven is usually so useless to the plot, but this time his expert knowledge of astronomy actually saves Jess & Liz at the end. He keeps prattling on about the moon, as does everyone else in this book.
Liz is making up lame Halloween songs because she wants Halloween carols to be a thing. Liz, we have the Monster Mash and the Addams family theme. I think we're set. She also wants to do a stupid joint costume thing with Jess. Because they are twins. Of course. She wants to be a two-headed sea monster, but Jess would rather puke in a bucket. Instead of displaying pumpkin fever, Jess is not feeling charitable at the idea of Halloween. Her only goal is basically to outshine Lila in the costume department. Fat chance. Other then that she's over the whole thing. So Liz decides to make a three-person costume with Amy and Maria. That's even crazier than the two-person costume idea. You will get a chuckle out of their three-person costume ideas.
But the dog down the street at the old Luna place has other ideas for Liz. He unearths a mask (that looks nothing like the one on the cover, btw) for Liz to wear. In a very un-Liz-like move, she is immediately taken with the mask. Suddenly she doesn't care that Jess doesn't want to do a costume with her. She immediately abandons all ideas with Amy and Maria too (and thank fuck for that, tbh). Within the first 50 pages of the book Liz has already worn the mask around Jess and acted super rude (except that she says 'You bet your boots.' Wtf?). Naturally Jess doesn't immediately assume it's the mask, because she doesn't read RL Stine.
So I forgot there is a party at the beginning of the book. Just with the Unicorns and Liz's friends over at the house. They hold a seance, like we all did when we were 12 (I'm not joking, I think everyone does that. I'm sure I did). Anyway, after a bunch of false starts (by which I mean people joking around) Mandy - sort of Mandy - says "Beware the rising of the moon!" and "Sisters beware!" and stuff like that. Mandy doesn't quite know what's going on though, because later on she seems sheepish about it when Jess approaches her.
So isn't Betsy Martin the town trash in SVH? Well, here she is apparently the meanest kid in school. Like, meaner than the Unicorns. I would argue that the Unicorns are sociopaths and not actually just a bully, like Betsy, but I digress. Anyway, this is Liz's new friend of choice once the mask takes over her life. And I do mean take over. It's hilarious, though, because all her family can say is that Liz is acting different. They don't seem to care that her entire personality has undergone a huge shift, which only ever bothers Jessica. In reality personality shifts are not normal at all. Not extreme personality shifts. And it's true that Liz is pretty by-the-book at all times.
So the whole plot consists of Liz being mean to everyone, and her conversations with Maria and Amy (that they think are Jess) are pretty hilarious. Jess, of course, wants balance restored, and she meets the mysterious Luna place dog one day. He leads her to the house, where she meets Corinna Black. I am seriously hoping Margo Black is related to Corinna. Either that or the ghostwriters were too lazy to think up original last names. Probably the latter. So Corinna has unexplained and undefined powers. They mostly seem to involve mind-reading. But she reveals to Jessica that she knows all about the mask - because she was the one who suffered its curse last! Liz must destroy the mask on the lunar eclipse on Halloween or be taken over by the mask forever. Jess, always down for a twin switch, says she can steal the mask and destroy it because she looks like Liz. Corinna politely tells her that being a twin won't get her out of this mess.
Meanwhile, Liz is guarding the mask with her life. She won't let Jessica get near enough to steal it anyway. Gradually, the mask takes over Liz's personality when she isn't wearing it. Before the eclipse and Halloween she is already acting evil all the time. In dire straits, Jessica confesses to astronomy-obsessed Steven what's been going on. He believes her and helps her come up with a plan to make Liz destroy the mask. Liz has been going around town wreaking havoc with Betsy Martin (and also dressing like Kurt Cobain), so Jess knows Liz will be with Betsy on Halloween. Steven's plan is to get them to a party on the mountain... and then how they are supposed to convince Liz to destroy the mask after that is unexplained. But Jess does her best evil Liz impersonation (and even feels sorry for someone!) and gets Betsy to agree to go to the party. Then she writes a note in "Betsy's" handwriting and puts it in Liz's locker to get her to go to the party.
On Halloween night, Jess is stuck trick-or-treating with the Unicorns before her plan with Steven at midnight. She had no time to worry about a costume so she is... wait for it... a ghost with a sheet over her head. Her whole explanation of it to Aaron Dallas is hilarious. The Unicorns give her such shit for her costume. The whole scene is great. But then it's time to put the plan in motion and things get weird. Apparently the plan is for Steven and Jess to bike up this mountain and... yep, that's all I've got. Keep in mind, this is a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old who don't regularly mountain bike or go camping. And I'm fairly certain they are using regular bikes. Anyway, Jess begins to have visions on her way up the mountain. She starts to see Corinna's face crying and some shit like that. And then she sees Liz's face and tells Steven they aren't coming. She has that "twin intuition" thing where she just knows where to find Liz. Also, she starts seeing the moon bursting into flames. Okay.
Jess finally, after an eon, gets back to the Wakefield house (she left Steven on the mountain) and sees Liz smashing her pumpkin (Jessica's - the one she made earlier in the book). But Liz also appears to be sobbing and in internal conflict with herself. By smashing the pumpkin she has caused the side of the house to catch on fire. Jess gets the hose while Liz is able to seize the last good part inside of her and throws the mask into the fire. As soon as she does she bursts into sobs and Jessica holds her with one arm and the hose in the other. It's actually a very touching moment. One of the best the SV series has done. (Unlike the Jungle Prom/Margo Black conclusion, where Liz's eventual safety is marred by the fact that Jess was lying to her the whole time).
But then the next day Liz is back to singing ridiculous songs, this time about Thanksgiving (their 20th as tweens). Naturally, she has no PTSD from being demonically possessed for a week.
Oh, also the moon is bloody red a lot. A LOT. Liz controls the solar system, you guys!
Alternate Title: "Luna-tics"
Tagline: "Elizabeth found the scariest Halloween mask... and it's turning her into a monster."
On a Scale of 1-10, How Annoying is Elizabeth?: 0. She's not annoying. She finally stands up for herself and tells Jessica off. She actually goes through a rebellious streak. I enjoyed this departure from pushover Liz!
On a Scale of 1-10, How Sociopathic is Jessica?: 0. Maybe a 1. She acts like a totally normal teenager. Not a pushover like Liz and not psycho like her usual self... just a human being genuinely concerned for her sister. How refreshing!
The Big Deal: Well, there's no major event at Lila's or anything. The big deal is just dealing with Liz's mask.
Cover: Good or Bad?: I love it! When you open past the mask you see Liz in a snarl. Even Jessica can't do that!
What Ghost are we dealing with?: None in this one.
Any psychopaths?: I guess we are supposed to believe Betsy Martin is one. And Liz, of course.
Lingering Questions: Is Corinna Black related to Margo Black? Inquiring minds need to know.
Quotes from the Book: Liz: And you used to like bobbing for apples. I remember--
Jess: That was years and years ago.
(Jess, I hate to break it to you, but years and years ago you weren't even born.)
"'You know where the spirits are. I have it. O Spirit world,' [Janet] chanted again in her eerie singsong voice, 'let us hear the shot that killed Abraham Lincoln.'"
(This devolves into who can hear the *most* shots, regardless of how many killed Lincoln. It's fucking hilarious.)
Jess: It's like Elizabeth's becoming- the worst parts of me.
(Um, Jess, which parts of you are the GOOD parts?!)
Steven: Nothing against the kid, but can you imagine just going on being Elizabeth forever?
(Steven totally gets it).
Moral of the Story: If everyone starts talking about the moon, it means your sister is becoming evil.
Final Rating: Three and a half stars. What a hoot! A rude Elizabeth and normal human Jessica. I never thought the day would come.
First of all, Steven is taking Astronomy even though he's a Freshman. Just go with it. Steven is usually so useless to the plot, but this time his expert knowledge of astronomy actually saves Jess & Liz at the end. He keeps prattling on about the moon, as does everyone else in this book.
Liz is making up lame Halloween songs because she wants Halloween carols to be a thing. Liz, we have the Monster Mash and the Addams family theme. I think we're set. She also wants to do a stupid joint costume thing with Jess. Because they are twins. Of course. She wants to be a two-headed sea monster, but Jess would rather puke in a bucket. Instead of displaying pumpkin fever, Jess is not feeling charitable at the idea of Halloween. Her only goal is basically to outshine Lila in the costume department. Fat chance. Other then that she's over the whole thing. So Liz decides to make a three-person costume with Amy and Maria. That's even crazier than the two-person costume idea. You will get a chuckle out of their three-person costume ideas.
But the dog down the street at the old Luna place has other ideas for Liz. He unearths a mask (that looks nothing like the one on the cover, btw) for Liz to wear. In a very un-Liz-like move, she is immediately taken with the mask. Suddenly she doesn't care that Jess doesn't want to do a costume with her. She immediately abandons all ideas with Amy and Maria too (and thank fuck for that, tbh). Within the first 50 pages of the book Liz has already worn the mask around Jess and acted super rude (except that she says 'You bet your boots.' Wtf?). Naturally Jess doesn't immediately assume it's the mask, because she doesn't read RL Stine.
So I forgot there is a party at the beginning of the book. Just with the Unicorns and Liz's friends over at the house. They hold a seance, like we all did when we were 12 (I'm not joking, I think everyone does that. I'm sure I did). Anyway, after a bunch of false starts (by which I mean people joking around) Mandy - sort of Mandy - says "Beware the rising of the moon!" and "Sisters beware!" and stuff like that. Mandy doesn't quite know what's going on though, because later on she seems sheepish about it when Jess approaches her.
So isn't Betsy Martin the town trash in SVH? Well, here she is apparently the meanest kid in school. Like, meaner than the Unicorns. I would argue that the Unicorns are sociopaths and not actually just a bully, like Betsy, but I digress. Anyway, this is Liz's new friend of choice once the mask takes over her life. And I do mean take over. It's hilarious, though, because all her family can say is that Liz is acting different. They don't seem to care that her entire personality has undergone a huge shift, which only ever bothers Jessica. In reality personality shifts are not normal at all. Not extreme personality shifts. And it's true that Liz is pretty by-the-book at all times.
So the whole plot consists of Liz being mean to everyone, and her conversations with Maria and Amy (that they think are Jess) are pretty hilarious. Jess, of course, wants balance restored, and she meets the mysterious Luna place dog one day. He leads her to the house, where she meets Corinna Black. I am seriously hoping Margo Black is related to Corinna. Either that or the ghostwriters were too lazy to think up original last names. Probably the latter. So Corinna has unexplained and undefined powers. They mostly seem to involve mind-reading. But she reveals to Jessica that she knows all about the mask - because she was the one who suffered its curse last! Liz must destroy the mask on the lunar eclipse on Halloween or be taken over by the mask forever. Jess, always down for a twin switch, says she can steal the mask and destroy it because she looks like Liz. Corinna politely tells her that being a twin won't get her out of this mess.
Meanwhile, Liz is guarding the mask with her life. She won't let Jessica get near enough to steal it anyway. Gradually, the mask takes over Liz's personality when she isn't wearing it. Before the eclipse and Halloween she is already acting evil all the time. In dire straits, Jessica confesses to astronomy-obsessed Steven what's been going on. He believes her and helps her come up with a plan to make Liz destroy the mask. Liz has been going around town wreaking havoc with Betsy Martin (and also dressing like Kurt Cobain), so Jess knows Liz will be with Betsy on Halloween. Steven's plan is to get them to a party on the mountain... and then how they are supposed to convince Liz to destroy the mask after that is unexplained. But Jess does her best evil Liz impersonation (and even feels sorry for someone!) and gets Betsy to agree to go to the party. Then she writes a note in "Betsy's" handwriting and puts it in Liz's locker to get her to go to the party.
On Halloween night, Jess is stuck trick-or-treating with the Unicorns before her plan with Steven at midnight. She had no time to worry about a costume so she is... wait for it... a ghost with a sheet over her head. Her whole explanation of it to Aaron Dallas is hilarious. The Unicorns give her such shit for her costume. The whole scene is great. But then it's time to put the plan in motion and things get weird. Apparently the plan is for Steven and Jess to bike up this mountain and... yep, that's all I've got. Keep in mind, this is a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old who don't regularly mountain bike or go camping. And I'm fairly certain they are using regular bikes. Anyway, Jess begins to have visions on her way up the mountain. She starts to see Corinna's face crying and some shit like that. And then she sees Liz's face and tells Steven they aren't coming. She has that "twin intuition" thing where she just knows where to find Liz. Also, she starts seeing the moon bursting into flames. Okay.
Jess finally, after an eon, gets back to the Wakefield house (she left Steven on the mountain) and sees Liz smashing her pumpkin (Jessica's - the one she made earlier in the book). But Liz also appears to be sobbing and in internal conflict with herself. By smashing the pumpkin she has caused the side of the house to catch on fire. Jess gets the hose while Liz is able to seize the last good part inside of her and throws the mask into the fire. As soon as she does she bursts into sobs and Jessica holds her with one arm and the hose in the other. It's actually a very touching moment. One of the best the SV series has done. (Unlike the Jungle Prom/Margo Black conclusion, where Liz's eventual safety is marred by the fact that Jess was lying to her the whole time).
But then the next day Liz is back to singing ridiculous songs, this time about Thanksgiving (their 20th as tweens). Naturally, she has no PTSD from being demonically possessed for a week.
Oh, also the moon is bloody red a lot. A LOT. Liz controls the solar system, you guys!
Alternate Title: "Luna-tics"
Tagline: "Elizabeth found the scariest Halloween mask... and it's turning her into a monster."
On a Scale of 1-10, How Annoying is Elizabeth?: 0. She's not annoying. She finally stands up for herself and tells Jessica off. She actually goes through a rebellious streak. I enjoyed this departure from pushover Liz!
On a Scale of 1-10, How Sociopathic is Jessica?: 0. Maybe a 1. She acts like a totally normal teenager. Not a pushover like Liz and not psycho like her usual self... just a human being genuinely concerned for her sister. How refreshing!
The Big Deal: Well, there's no major event at Lila's or anything. The big deal is just dealing with Liz's mask.
Cover: Good or Bad?: I love it! When you open past the mask you see Liz in a snarl. Even Jessica can't do that!
What Ghost are we dealing with?: None in this one.
Any psychopaths?: I guess we are supposed to believe Betsy Martin is one. And Liz, of course.
Lingering Questions: Is Corinna Black related to Margo Black? Inquiring minds need to know.
Quotes from the Book: Liz: And you used to like bobbing for apples. I remember--
Jess: That was years and years ago.
(Jess, I hate to break it to you, but years and years ago you weren't even born.)
"'You know where the spirits are. I have it. O Spirit world,' [Janet] chanted again in her eerie singsong voice, 'let us hear the shot that killed Abraham Lincoln.'"
(This devolves into who can hear the *most* shots, regardless of how many killed Lincoln. It's fucking hilarious.)
Jess: It's like Elizabeth's becoming- the worst parts of me.
(Um, Jess, which parts of you are the GOOD parts?!)
Steven: Nothing against the kid, but can you imagine just going on being Elizabeth forever?
(Steven totally gets it).
Moral of the Story: If everyone starts talking about the moon, it means your sister is becoming evil.
Final Rating: Three and a half stars. What a hoot! A rude Elizabeth and normal human Jessica. I never thought the day would come.
Want to read
October 28, 2016This cover just gave me an extreme flash back! i am sure I had one with a hologram cover which switched between Elizabeths face and the skull mask.
Way ahead of its time.
Way ahead of its time.
October 23, 2022
The entire crux of this book hinges on Steven being super into astronomy. Which I just find hilarious, because astronomy is incredibly complicated and mathematical and I absolutely cannot see Steven obsessed with it.
Regardless, it's a fun, truly Halloween-y SVT.
Regardless, it's a fun, truly Halloween-y SVT.
Read
October 13, 2021This year's read-along with EuroHackie begins with Evil Elizabeth, a book I think we've been talking about re-reading for awhile now.
Evil Elizabeth is one of the Super Chillers and that means we get some straight up supernatural shenanigans. Despite that, it's very simple to explain: Liz finds a grotesque Halloween mask and every time she puts it on, her personality changes for the worse. Over time, the mask seems to be controlling her even when she's not wearing it, and it's up to Jessica to save her from whatever mystical fuckery is afoot.
It will never not be funny that the easiest way to scare Jessica is to make Elizabeth act like Jessica. Every time, it snaps Jessica out of her own cruelty ASAP and then, to teach Jess a lesson, Liz dials it up several notches so Jessica has to take a real look at her own behavior. It never lasts, especially when done in a super special, but it is always entertaining.
Since this is a Twins book, the evil depths Liz sinks to are fairly tame til the end. She's laughably cruel to Amy (just get out of my life! Who says that? How do you not just think, wait, wha? when you hear that?), randomly decides Betsy Martin is the best thing ever and wants to hang out with her (I could not name a single SVT book with Betsy in it prior to this, even had you held a gun to my head. I still couldn't name another one), and they smash pumpkins, egg cars, and steal candy from children. Oh, and she dresses terribly. Which might've been the most offensive thing of all to Jessica, had nearly all of Liz's prior cruelty not been directed at Jessica.
There are some fun moments, like the seance the girls do at the sleepover, and I'm a sucker for anything magical or spooky in the Valley. I liked Steven's very obviously needed for plot reasons newfound love of the moon and the stars and that he's actually, y'know, a good student, which is something that usually gets ignored in SVT in favor of his basketball playing. Lila's weird "oh no, I might never walk again but I can totally ice skate, no problem" is both hilarious and stupid, which is frequently how Lila is written in these things. My favorite bit was Liz suggesting to the group, Ellen in particular, that maybe they should just trust one another to not cheat and Ellen's like, "does not compute." Dead accurate for the Unicorns.
Less fond of Amy and Maria's brilliant idea of dressing up as a tricycle for Halloween. If I had to hear people tear down every other costume idea that wasn't that bad, I cannot believe this, THIS was the outfit they went with. They're 12. They could've come up with anything else to justify wearing their rollerblades, ghosty. ANYTHING ELSE. So, so dumb. Like I cannot even visualize it, and I know younger me was also not into it because sometimes you re-read something and the ghost of your younger self takes over. It almost justifies Liz telling Amy to get out of her life. If that's the best idea you two can come up with, Sutton, maybe possessed!Liz has a point.
I did like that in the end we never find out whether the mask possessed Corinna or her sister, and Liz tells Jessica not to pry, because if Corinna wanted her to know, she would have said. That said, since the mask can be destroyed by fire, it seems likely that Corinna was the one possessed since the other members of her family died in the fire, and had her sister been wearing the mask, it would've been destroyed. Or maybe not since a big deal was made about it being destroyed during the eclipse. But I feel like she might've led with it being impervious to fire previously had that been the case.
Anyway, due to the psychic connection or the magic of the moon, Jessica realizes that Liz isn't going to meet them at Courage Mountain (she and Steven set a trap that I... still don't know how that plan was going to play out as we're never told, but I feel like luring her up a mountain is a bad idea) and races the moon back home in time to stop Liz from burning the house to the ground. Betsy and the other hoodlums have run off and Liz eventually breaks free of the curse because...twin powers? Love? Guilt over smashing Jessica's sadclown pumpkin? I don't know. It doesn't matter. The day is saved, the mask is burned and the ashes buried, and the ye olde Luna place does not disappear into the mist but is likely never heard from again because the Super Chillers rarely matter in canon.
Side-note: I do wonder when Betsy went off the rails. I thought it was after her mother died but I don't remember when that was. Looked it up and it was when Tricia was nine so Betsy's been running wild for awhile. Huh. And Betsy's the older sister, and Tricia's a year older than the twins, so we'll pretend Betsy was 10 when mom died. That'd make the twins 8 so... I don't know where I'm going with this but it's weird for Betsy to be hanging out with Elizabeth and technically she should be in high school, probably, but SVT's weird with the twins being 12 so whatever.
That is cold, Steven Wakefield.
Other thoughts: no way in hell is Lila freakin' Fowler painting her room with gold stripes or polka dots, even if they are purple. Nope, no way. Tacky.
I kinda think Mandy would be more open to Jessica's worries, even if she doesn't believe in the supernatural aspect.
Why in hell is Jessica buying carving knives for carving pumpkins when they do this every year? I'd kind of wondered if maybe Liz would threaten her with a knife but no. It's just... weird.
Not sure why Jess never tried to take the mask when Liz was in the shower as that's the obvious time to try.
Where did Courage Mountain come from and where exactly did it go? The Valley does have Miller Point and the whole cliff-side that killed Sam and nearly killed Todd but uh, Courage Mountain?
I definitely laughed when Jessica tried to correct Steven and say that Beetlejuice/ Betelgeuse was a cartoon, not a star.
Mostly I think I'm content to focus on the fact that this cover is legitimately the scariest SV cover of all time and is scarier than most of the actual YA horror stuff, too. But I love, love, LOVE the step-back illustration of Elizabeth and one day I will track down one of the foreign copies without the creepy mask so I can admire the art.
Evil Elizabeth is one of the Super Chillers and that means we get some straight up supernatural shenanigans. Despite that, it's very simple to explain: Liz finds a grotesque Halloween mask and every time she puts it on, her personality changes for the worse. Over time, the mask seems to be controlling her even when she's not wearing it, and it's up to Jessica to save her from whatever mystical fuckery is afoot.
It will never not be funny that the easiest way to scare Jessica is to make Elizabeth act like Jessica. Every time, it snaps Jessica out of her own cruelty ASAP and then, to teach Jess a lesson, Liz dials it up several notches so Jessica has to take a real look at her own behavior. It never lasts, especially when done in a super special, but it is always entertaining.
Since this is a Twins book, the evil depths Liz sinks to are fairly tame til the end. She's laughably cruel to Amy (just get out of my life! Who says that? How do you not just think, wait, wha? when you hear that?), randomly decides Betsy Martin is the best thing ever and wants to hang out with her (I could not name a single SVT book with Betsy in it prior to this, even had you held a gun to my head. I still couldn't name another one), and they smash pumpkins, egg cars, and steal candy from children. Oh, and she dresses terribly. Which might've been the most offensive thing of all to Jessica, had nearly all of Liz's prior cruelty not been directed at Jessica.
There are some fun moments, like the seance the girls do at the sleepover, and I'm a sucker for anything magical or spooky in the Valley. I liked Steven's very obviously needed for plot reasons newfound love of the moon and the stars and that he's actually, y'know, a good student, which is something that usually gets ignored in SVT in favor of his basketball playing. Lila's weird "oh no, I might never walk again but I can totally ice skate, no problem" is both hilarious and stupid, which is frequently how Lila is written in these things. My favorite bit was Liz suggesting to the group, Ellen in particular, that maybe they should just trust one another to not cheat and Ellen's like, "does not compute." Dead accurate for the Unicorns.
Less fond of Amy and Maria's brilliant idea of dressing up as a tricycle for Halloween. If I had to hear people tear down every other costume idea that wasn't that bad, I cannot believe this, THIS was the outfit they went with. They're 12. They could've come up with anything else to justify wearing their rollerblades, ghosty. ANYTHING ELSE. So, so dumb. Like I cannot even visualize it, and I know younger me was also not into it because sometimes you re-read something and the ghost of your younger self takes over. It almost justifies Liz telling Amy to get out of her life. If that's the best idea you two can come up with, Sutton, maybe possessed!Liz has a point.
I did like that in the end we never find out whether the mask possessed Corinna or her sister, and Liz tells Jessica not to pry, because if Corinna wanted her to know, she would have said. That said, since the mask can be destroyed by fire, it seems likely that Corinna was the one possessed since the other members of her family died in the fire, and had her sister been wearing the mask, it would've been destroyed. Or maybe not since a big deal was made about it being destroyed during the eclipse. But I feel like she might've led with it being impervious to fire previously had that been the case.
Anyway, due to the psychic connection or the magic of the moon, Jessica realizes that Liz isn't going to meet them at Courage Mountain (she and Steven set a trap that I... still don't know how that plan was going to play out as we're never told, but I feel like luring her up a mountain is a bad idea) and races the moon back home in time to stop Liz from burning the house to the ground. Betsy and the other hoodlums have run off and Liz eventually breaks free of the curse because...twin powers? Love? Guilt over smashing Jessica's sad
Side-note: I do wonder when Betsy went off the rails. I thought it was after her mother died but I don't remember when that was. Looked it up and it was when Tricia was nine so Betsy's been running wild for awhile. Huh. And Betsy's the older sister, and Tricia's a year older than the twins, so we'll pretend Betsy was 10 when mom died. That'd make the twins 8 so... I don't know where I'm going with this but it's weird for Betsy to be hanging out with Elizabeth and technically she should be in high school, probably, but SVT's weird with the twins being 12 so whatever.
"Elizabeth is Elizabeth, period. She's always been Elizabeth, and she'll always be Elizabeth." He sighed. "Don't get me wrong. Nothing against the kid, but can you imagine just going on being Elizabeth forever?" He shuddered and glanced at his moon chart.
That is cold, Steven Wakefield.
Other thoughts: no way in hell is Lila freakin' Fowler painting her room with gold stripes or polka dots, even if they are purple. Nope, no way. Tacky.
I kinda think Mandy would be more open to Jessica's worries, even if she doesn't believe in the supernatural aspect.
Why in hell is Jessica buying carving knives for carving pumpkins when they do this every year? I'd kind of wondered if maybe Liz would threaten her with a knife but no. It's just... weird.
Not sure why Jess never tried to take the mask when Liz was in the shower as that's the obvious time to try.
Where did Courage Mountain come from and where exactly did it go? The Valley does have Miller Point and the whole cliff-side that killed Sam and nearly killed Todd but uh, Courage Mountain?
I definitely laughed when Jessica tried to correct Steven and say that Beetlejuice/ Betelgeuse was a cartoon, not a star.
Mostly I think I'm content to focus on the fact that this cover is legitimately the scariest SV cover of all time and is scarier than most of the actual YA horror stuff, too. But I love, love, LOVE the step-back illustration of Elizabeth and one day I will track down one of the foreign copies without the creepy mask so I can admire the art.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2010
what a mask! gud thing jessica saved elizabeth it was frightening 4 a second.
October 14, 2021
It’s silly, it’s contrived, but most importantly, it’s nostalgic! I must’ve read this book a dozen times when I was 9/10 years old and rereading it now was thrilling; I was turning the pages almost as eagerly as I did so many years ago. I’m a sucker for cursed objects and mysterious women living creepy old houses, so the aesthetic of this book is on point for my taste. And not to give this ghost-written schlock too much credit, but the fear of someone you love turning into a completely different person is terrifying, even now. This honestly isn’t a bad children’s horror book, and I’m really happy that I own a copy now. I’d probably reread it again in future Octobers, especially given how short it is.
September 30, 2017
I ordered this book through Interlibrary Loan in hopes it would get here by Halloween, and it arrived much quicker than I intended. So, Halloween is coming early for me this year!
I didn't remember much about this one, except that it was basically Goosebumps' "The Haunted Mask" and that there was a blood moon. It was very silly and cheesy, but I still had way too much fun reading it.
I didn't remember much about this one, except that it was basically Goosebumps' "The Haunted Mask" and that there was a blood moon. It was very silly and cheesy, but I still had way too much fun reading it.
February 19, 2019
I remember reading this when I was eleven because I thought the cover looked cool. I loved it and reread it so many times.
August 10, 2025
It felt like I went back to high school while reading this book. I certainly missed Jessica, Elizabeth, and the whole of Sweet Valley.
October 27, 2025
In honor of my childhood read, the story is easily predicted but hey, that's all the fun I guess. It's more like a comfort read
December 3, 2025
This is part of the Super Chiller group and it is indeed much darker than the regular stories. In this case a dog has dug up something and Elizabeth ends up with it. It's actually some type of evil mask that changes the mental outlook of anyone wearing it. It turns them evil and, unless it is somehow stopped, the person will remain evil even withtout the mask being on.
Jessica is very strong in this book, doing everything she can to save her sister from such a fate. This involves an old woman living alone in a house that is run down, a group of nasty girls that Elizabeth ends up joining, and an important contribution by Steven.
It's a very intense book and you don't know until almost the very end how things will turn out for the twins.
There are two things in the book that stood out to me. One is when the young girls are together and one of them speaks a prophe cy about the evil mask. As far as I know that particular girl doesn't have a background in the occult although since I haven't read every since SVT book I could be wrong.
The other thing is a logic problem. The woman to whom the mask belonged knew that it was evil and very dangerous so she had it buried in her yard. Wouldn't it have made more sense to burn it? As far as we can tell it's made of burnable material so burning it would have been an act of purification.
Still, those are minor points and don't detract from how good the book is.
Jessica is very strong in this book, doing everything she can to save her sister from such a fate. This involves an old woman living alone in a house that is run down, a group of nasty girls that Elizabeth ends up joining, and an important contribution by Steven.
It's a very intense book and you don't know until almost the very end how things will turn out for the twins.
There are two things in the book that stood out to me. One is when the young girls are together and one of them speaks a prophe cy about the evil mask. As far as I know that particular girl doesn't have a background in the occult although since I haven't read every since SVT book I could be wrong.
The other thing is a logic problem. The woman to whom the mask belonged knew that it was evil and very dangerous so she had it buried in her yard. Wouldn't it have made more sense to burn it? As far as we can tell it's made of burnable material so burning it would have been an act of purification.
Still, those are minor points and don't detract from how good the book is.
December 27, 2016
So this is my absolute favourite Sweet Valley High books of all time. Mostly because it upends the usual tropes from the series - Elizabeth becomes evil, Jessica is actually selfless for once and it has a genuinely heartwarming sister love ending that doesn't feel contrived. Steven also plays a role in this and I've always liked Steven in roles that doesn't make him into a bully. Also, I recall being genuinely creeped out as Lizzie transforms into a monster. The witchy woman who helps Jessica is also pretty cool.
April 29, 2009
*headwall* And herein lies the reason why I was a bigger BSC fan than SVT. ;)
May 20, 2010
worst book ever
January 15, 2011
Really creep! One of my favorite Sweet Valley books ever!!I couldn't put the book down once the whole time I read it. It's really good.
April 25, 2012
Not as scary as it tries to be. Juvenile fiction, at best. If you're used to reading YA horror, don't try this one out.
December 4, 2012
Oh, memories. I remember loving this book, for some reason, and re-reading it repeatedly, but I left it on the plane home (or to?) South Africa, and I tell you, I was DEVASTATED.
June 22, 2013
I remember the cover but just not the story
Read
July 16, 2015I read this in middle school and it scared me so badly, I remember crying to my mom about it. #thecoolest
February 26, 2010
I loved this book......
and now when I see the moon,a shiver goes down my spine
and now when I see the moon,a shiver goes down my spine
January 5, 2016
I used to absolutely love these books!
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